In an optical network, route selection and wavelength selection are fundamental considerations in satisfying the demands of the network. In some instances, the same wavelength may be used along the entire length of a route associated with a demand. In other instances, the same wavelength may not be used along the entire length of a route because of contention issues. For example, multiple demands on a given link may generate contention. In some circumstances, translating one or more of the wavelengths or selecting a different route may resolve this convention. However, these types of ad hoc implementations may be costly from a local or a network-wide standpoint.